Committees for change
Representing our policies and positions
The BC Wildlife Federation engages with its membership in all regions of British Columbia through numerous volunteer committees. Some committees are responsible for yearly events, while others are tasked with representing Federation policies and positions on various standing or special government advisory committees.
Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Eduction (CORE) Committee
Developing and promoting hunter education
The CORE committee teaches the skills and knowledge necessary to enjoy a safe and ethical outdoor experience while maintaining healthy ecosystems. The committee assists the BCWF in providing leadership and guidance to examiners to educate students and give them an opportunity to successfully pass a final examination.
CORE Committee Chair: John Thornton
Email: directorjt@bcwf.bc.ca
Key Activities:
- Teaching safe and ethical hunting practices
- Triannual reports given to the Executive, the Board of Directors, and all Examiners.
Firearms Committee
Providing technical and advisory support
The Firearms Committee implements BCWF Firearms Policy at the federal and provincial level. The committee provides technical and advisory support to the Board of Directors, Regions and Club members on all issues related to firearms. The committee is responsible for representing the BCWF perspective on firearms policies and issues with governments, their agencies and other organizations with similar interests.
Firearms Committee Chair: Gary Mauser
Email: firearms@bcwf.bc.ca
Top 2019 Issue: Bill C-71
The Firearms Committee is actively defending the right of BCWF members to own and use firearms by the following interlocked activities:
- Educating BCWF members about issues and proposed legislation by giving talks at clubs and regional meetings;
- Educating MPs and Senators about the problems the proposed legislation will impose on BCWF members by getting members and other gun owners to write letters;
- Public outreach; educating the public about the problems proposed legislation will impose on all Canadians by going to gun shows passing out information, etc.
Fisheries Committees
Representing the interest of the fishery
The Fisheries Committee works closely with its sub-committees to provide a Federation perspective on various fishery concerns and represent the interest of the fishery in all habitat issues. The sub-committees are Inland Northern, Inland Interior, Tidal Water North and Tidal Water South.
The Fisheries Committees advise the Board of Directors and membership on the development of objectives and strategies to achieve the goals of the BCWF Fisheries Policy in the management of the resource in both the fresh water and saltwater environment. Committee members represent BCWF on the Provincial Angling Advisory Committee and the Fisheries and Oceans Canada Sport Fishing Advisory Board.
Saltwater Fisheries Chair: Ted Brookman
Email: saltwatersouth@bcwf.bc.ca
Inland Interior Chair: Vacant
Top Issues: Interior Fraser Steelhead, Heart of the Fraser
Inland Northern Chair: David Lewis
Email: northernfisheries@bcwf.bc.ca
Tidal Water North Chair: Ken Franzen
Email:saltwaternorth@bcwf.bc.ca
Photo: Lindsay Thiessen
Habitat and Sustainability Committees
Supporting land use sustainability and access
These committees provide support, both technical and advisory, to the BCWF membership on sustainability and access issues within the provincial land base, working closely on land use issues with the Access, Forestry, Energy Mines and Petroleum and Parks and Wilderness Committees.
Members represent the BCWF membership on the Provincial Trails Advisory Board and Mountain Caribou Recovery Progress Public Board.
Access Chair: David Oliver
Email: access@bcwf.bc.ca
Forestry Chair: Doug Janz
Email: forestry@bcwf.bc.ca
Indigenous Relations Chair: Rob Chipman
Email: irr@bcwf.bc.ca
Parks and Wilderness Chair: Brian Hancock
Wildlife Disease/Human Conflict Committee Chair: Doug Janz
Access (Grazing Leases) Chair: Vacant
Habitat and Sustainability Chair: Vacant
The Recreational Shooting Sports Committee offers an opportunity to BCWF clubs that have active ranges to participate in finding solutions to common problems, including environmental legislation, municipal noise bylaws, and other shared challenges. The goal of the committee is to provide support, both technical and advisory, to the BCWF membership on all issues related to sports shooting.
RSSC Chair: Doug Bancroft
Email: rss@bcwf.bc.ca
Top Issues: Lead and Noise Remediation
Wildlife and Allocations Committee
Addressing the challenges against hunting
The Wildlife Committee serves the BCWF membership by addressing the challenges against hunting that come from regional, provincial and global fronts by using resources and information from a broad number of sources.
The committee acts as a conduit to the Board of Directors by actively engaging and communicating with BCWF stakeholders, provincial and federal governments, industry, NGO’s and the public. Committee members provide technical and briefing notes to the BCWF Executive and staff.
Wildlife Allocations Committee Chair: Gerry Paille
Email: wildlife@bcwf.bc.ca
Key Activities:
- Provincial Hunting and Trapping Advisory Team (PHTAT) and PHTAT Fair Chase Subcommittee
- Moose Solutions Roundtable
- Northern Wildlife Roundtable
- Improving Wildlife Management and Habitat Conservation Stakeholder Engagement